The 911 call was disturbing.
A Syracuse home was on fire, a neighbor told dispatchers, and a woman was standing at a window inside the burning home, said Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds.
The burning home was notable: The house at 749 W. Onondaga St. was built in 1885 and designed by Archimedes Russel, a famous Syracuse architect. And the fire was threatening to destroy the 135-year-old home. Syracuse firefighters rushed to historic West Onondaga Street home around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday. When they arrived, flames were billowing from the second story of the home.
The home was considered vacant, Monds said, but was being used by squatters as a place to stay. So firefighters found a way inside and started to search the large, 4,793-square-foot building for victims.